Awaited Return
by ThoughtsInTheWind
Summary: It's been five years since Damon left Mystic Falls, no longer able to endure Elena's relationship with his brother. His absence has left Elena heartbroken, but she's determined to survive and make him proud of her progress. Now Damon's back, and he wants to see what's happened to the girl he loves. Will he like what he discovers, and can he win her heart back? [Complete]
1. Chapter 1

A/N So, while we're waiting for the seventh episode, I decided to publish this little story. I've written most of the next three chapters for it, and you guys can expect an update every two days or so, probably earlier. And I'm also looking for a beta. Any takers?

Disclaimer : I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its associated characters and story lines. Only the plot of this work is my own. The disclaimer applies to this chapter and all future chapters of this entire work.

* * *

Her days always end the same. It's mechanistic already. With an inscrutable face, she opens the door to her room, proceeds with her nightly routine, and slips into bed. She grabs her journal and starts writing, sitting up with her body under the covers.

The content? It's always the same. It hasn't changed in the past five years. She clicks the top of her pen, and exactly as she's done for the past 1825 days, Elena Gilbert begins to write about Damon Salvatore.

_Damon's been gone for five years now, but the time hasn't made his absence any easier to bear. Only now do I realize how true the old saying is - you really don't know the value of someone until they're no longer with you. With Damon gone, it's a miracle that I've managed to make it for the past five years. The presence of Stefan and my friends sure helps, but all of them combined can't hope to make up for Damon's absence. _

_Without him, the world just isn't the same. Stefan knows it, and I know it, too. _

_Honestly, we've both known it since our breakup, a mere three weeks after Damon's departure. Once the elder Salvatore left, I just couldn't function. Soon enough, Stefan accepted that even he couldn't do anything about my pain, though God knows he tried. _

_And yeah, I still love him a lot for how he tried. But considering how I was back then, his failure to help me was inevitable._

_During those first months without Damon, forget living - I could barely make it through the day. His eyes would haunt me everywhere, and I'd fight through all the memories, just to survive. To be honest, it's five years in, but I'm still surviving. Who am I kidding anyway? I can't really live without him._

_Speaking of living though, I think I've finally gotten used to the idea of feeding on people. It's taken me half a decade, but feeding has thankfully become routine. Tomorrow, I don't think I'll be talking about my hunt in this journal, as I've done in the past. There's nothing to talk about now. Hunting just happens, and I've made a fragile sort of peace with my vampirism. God, I wish Damon were here to see my progress - he'd be so proud, I know._

_Damn it. Now I'm remembering the first time I fed on people. The frat party is still ingrained in my mind, playing on permanent loop. I still remember the lights, the music, the sinful yet affectionate way he held me to him. Now that hunting isn't a problem, I have all the time in the world to reminisce about that moment, especially since Stefan has been really avoidant today. Well, more avoidant than usual._

_When I came to visit him at the boarding house after my hunt, he shooed me right out, and told me that he had urgent stuff to take care of. I can only imagine what that urgent thing might be, but I'll leave it to him. If there's one thing I've learned in my time with Stefan, sometimes ignorance really is bliss._

_Besides, Elijah's coming over again tomorrow. He's been a surprising constant here in Mystic Falls, though I of course prefer him to Klaus or Rebekah. Yep, I still want to kill her on my bad days, but her elder brother's really not a bad guy, and his mind always astounds me. Then again, when you live as long as Elijah has, I'm sure you pick up some wisdom along the way._

_The one thing I hate though, is how he always manages to get the truth out of me. I can deflect other people just fine, but I can't do that at all with Elijah. It's a quality he shares with Damon. The two are uncannily similar when it comes to that ability. Damn it. For example, the last time we got to talk, he forced me to dredge up all of my memories with Damon, and I have to admit that it was tortured joy at best._

_He really forced me to remember, and to talk about everything - the road trips, the arguments, the fights, the hugs, and yes, even the kisses. All through my grand unloading, Elijah listened without saying a word, looking completely dispassionate as he waited for me to finish._

_When I was done, I asked him about the reason for the exercise, and he just said that I needed to move on from myself. _

_"Not move on from Damon, but to move on from the stasis you've been in for the last five years," were his exact words. And then, in typical Elijah fashion, he added, "It's time you made the memories your strength, not your weakness. You must move on Elena. If not for yourself, do it for him."_

_Insightful? Sure it was, though a little confusing. I asked him how my moving on would matter to Damon, and he just said we would talk about it tomorrow. I did try to make him say more, but he didn't budge._

_"Tomorrow," he said, and his voice communicated grim finality. Seeing as I could brook no argument with him, there was nothing I could have done. He's also gone now, so I guess, here's to tomorrow._

_As dumb as it sounds, I keep praying that the new day will bring me Damon, but I think the day's honestly tired of that request. _

_After all, I've been asking it for Damon for the past five years._

When she's finished with the entry, she clicks the top of the pen again, and sets her journal on the nightstand. Her heightened senses are calming down now, since she's preparing for another weary night of sleep. She takes one glance at the window.

Elena hopes that at least in her dreams, she'll be with the Salvatore she misses so very much.

* * *

A/N So, thoughts? Send them in!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Well, here's the second chapter in Damon's POV. Sorry for the delay, and hope you guys enjoy. And gosh, I still need a beta for this one. If you'd like to pitch in with this story, please feel free to send a PM!

* * *

When Stefan opens the door to the boarding house, it's his brother again, staring back at him with unfathomable eyes. Damon's mouth remains pursed, and he continues to tap his foot impatiently on the ground.

"Stop being an idiot and let me in, Stefan."

"You're the one who doesn't want to see Elena yet, but you're demanding that I let you in. Didn't I tell you yesterday? She always comes here at least once a week, so if avoiding her is still your plan, find somewhere else to go."

Damon huffs, annoyed. "I know what I'm doing, Stefan, now move aside or I'll make you."

"What part of _Elena stays here once a week_ didn't you get? She's coming tonight, for God's sake!"

The elder Salvatore tenses, though his eyes soften at his brother's sentence. "I understood what you said, but I'm still asking you to move. Just trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Stefan sighs, seeing that his brother still can't be made to see reason. He debates the act of relenting, but eventually steps aside after a few seconds. If there's one thing he's learned, it's that Damon won't budge once his mind is set on something.

The only one who'd ever managed to sway him was Elena, but she was at her house and therefore unavailable.

"Fine then," Stefan eventually says, with a shake of his head. "I suppose it's not _my_ secrecy on the line."

Damon just rolls his eyes, and heads straight to his bedroom. "Don't disturb me," he yells, and Stefan wonders just what his brother has planned.

A small smile creeps its way onto his usually-too-serious face. Somehow, with his elder brother back in Mystic Falls, life for the younger Salvatore has gotten a tiny bit brighter.

* * *

The first thing Damon does is to lie in his bed, then drown himself in Elena's scent. He's practically blanketed in it, and for the first time in five years, he feels a small semblance of peace in his heart. Sure, her scent drives him to sheer madness sometimes, but right now it soothes him as nothing else can.

It would have been better if Elena were there, but he doesn't mind. If her smell is all he can have right now, Damon's happy to take what he can get.

He pulls the sheets even closer to his nose, taking a deep whiff to fill his lungs.

A genuine smile takes over his face, and he lets out a breath he never knew he was holding. The exhalation has quite a lot of force behind it, as if he wants to let out every particle of air residing in his body, only to replace it with the Elena-infused counterpart.

It's mushy, he knows that, though he can't bring himself to care. It's the closest he's come to her in half a decade, and he doesn't give a fuck about maintaining his bad-ass image. Damon quickly looks up at the ceiling, and a brief thought of his brother's ignorance flits into his head.

For example, Stefan has no idea that Elijah has been serving as his confidant. He also has no idea that the Original is Elena's de facto protector, and therefore Elijah has been tracking Elena quite a bit.

Damon laughs at the irony of it all. Even without his physical presence, he still found a way to keep an eye on his little danger magnet.

He brings the pillow to his nose now, letting go of the sheets.

While he has the strangest urge to bite into what he's holding, he also wants to caress it at the same time. The damned pillow is his current stand-in for Elena, and it smells so much like her that it's driving him wild. Right now, his muscles are practically screaming at him, telling him to chase and to catch and to devour her completely.

Damon takes a breath to calm himself, nuzzling the pillow to get a handle on his baser desires. In a low tone, he speaks into the softness. "Oh, I've missed you, Elena. You have no idea how much."

The sentence is punctuated with his own muted chuckle. He can't believe that he's talking to a pillow now, just because it smells of Elena and therefore every fucking thing that has ever appealed to him.

The way I love her is unbelievable, Damon thinks to himself.

The elder Salvatore looks up at the ceiling again, before turning his head to the side. Damon's surprised to see that a framed photo now rests on his nightstand, and the picture it holds is heartbreaking.

It's a shot of Elena, nestled under his covers. His covers, damn it, and not anyone else's. It makes his chest ache with affection.

She's sitting up in bed reading a book, and the title fills Damon with a mix of sadness and delight. It's Call of the Wild by Jack London, one of his personal favorites. The book arouses emotions that make him rush back to his brother.

* * *

He holds the frame up to Stefan's inspection. "Who took this picture?"

"I did," his brother replies, continuing to sort through a stack of papers. Stefan doesn't even look up again as he continues to speak. "I asked if I could take that when I discovered her reading, and she agreed after I told her my reason."

"And what reason was that?"

"I just told her you'd like the photo. I was about to tell her that it was a book you loved, but the fact that you'd like the picture was enough for her."

At that, his elder brother heads back upstairs, and Stefan no longer bothers to ask why. Instead, he yells out, "Remember, Elena's sleeping in your room tonight, so you'd better make yourself scarce, Damon!"

* * *

Damon pauses in front of his bedroom door, having heard his brother's warning. Right after, he heads inside again, setting the frame where it was before. He quickly searches his drawers for a pen and a piece of paper, writing out a note in his neat scrawl.

It's only one sentence, but he knows that it's perfect for his plans to win her back.

He sets the note down on the pillow and carefully arranges the sheets again, before grabbing his duffel bag of clothes. Damon goes straight to the most secluded bedroom in the boarding house, giddy with hope about the potential of his message.

Even the threat of discovery no longer matters. The only thing important is that Elena will get his note, and she'll be sleeping under the same roof as him. For Damon, it's enough to make this the best day he's had in five years.

* * *

A/N There you go, everyone! In the next chapter, we'll accompany Elena and discover what she's been up to with Elijah. Does anybody have any guesses what Damon wrote? And of course I look forward to your reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Well, here is the third chapter, for all you awesome readers. Thanks so much for all the reviews. Did I forget to reply to anyone?

* * *

When she opens the door to Damon's bedroom, the smell that greets her is the only thing she can think about. That peculiar combination of earthy musk and arctic coolness can only belong to him, and Elena wonders how the scent has gotten so strong since the last time she was in his room.

"Stefan?" she calls out hesitantly, knowing he'll hear.

A whoosh of air hits her, and his voice follows. "Is there a problem?"

Elena shakes her head. "No, not really, but did something happen in here?"

She turns to watch his facial reaction, and there's turmoil brewing in his green eyes.

Stefan stares straight into his brother's bedroom, staying silent as he lets his eyes roam. When he spots the small, inconspicuous note, his eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch. Then, he says, "No, nothing happened here. Why?"

"I don't know," she whispers. "His scent is just so much stronger."

"It must be your nose." Stefan's stance communicates total neutrality. "You haven't been here since last week, so it's natural that the smell seems stronger. Don't worry about it, Elena. I'm sure it'll pass."

She doesn't quite buy his explanation, but Elena nods anyway. Maybe it really is just her nose.

"Alright then," she says. "Sorry for disturbing you, Stefan. You can go back to whatever you were doing."

"Okay." He copies her earlier nod, the emotions still in his eyes. "Good night, Elena."

She gives him a halfhearted smile which he returns, then he closes the door and leaves her. She knows it's kind of immature, but Elena just can't muster the enthusiasm to like Stefan's good-nights. For her, such greetings rarely carry weight anymore, especially since they're not from the Salvatore she _truly_ wants.

* * *

Elena has a strange ritual when she sleeps in Damon's bed.

Instead of rushing to sleep so that another day without him can pass, there's a more deliberate quality to her actions. She doesn't rush, and takes her time with her nightly routine. Elena also tends to sleep in late, disliking the fact that she has to get up in the first place. At first, Stefan honestly wondered about the change in her resting patterns, but now he doesn't question the routine anymore.

Elena sinks down into the softness, and like always, opens her journal.

On nights like these, the tone of her entry is different. It's no longer in third person, where Elena just recounts the events of the day. Instead, she likes to write it as if she's telling Damon about everything that happened. It brings her peace, the likes of which she can't find anywhere else.

Here at least, in his bed, she can pretend that Damon is looking over her shoulder. As insane as that makes her, she imagines that he's reading the words as she writes them.

_Hi Damon. I'm sleeping in your bed again, but you know that already. This has the been my pattern for years now, so I'm sure you're no longer surprised. Like always, I wish you were back, since it's been so long. But since you're not, can I ask you a question instead?_

_Where are you?_

_I've been getting all these weird signals, you see, and they're driving me crazy. _

_For one, the smell of you is so much stronger than before. It's literally as if you were just here, and yet Stefan tells me that I have a problem with my nose. It's a cop-out, and he and I both know that there's nothing wrong with my nose. Secondly, just what have you been up to with Elijah? I mean, when we talked earlier, he said that you were closer than I thought. _

_So if you are, where the heck are you, and why haven't you come to me yet?_

_No, wait, don't answer that. I don't think I deserve to ask you such a question. After all, I've always been the one to push you away, and yet I always expected you to come when I needed you._

_You have to know though, even if it's just through this journal, I really am sorry for how I treated you. I took too long to decide, and eventually I think you just got tired of waiting. I know, I know, you said you were leaving because you wanted me to be happy, but it's okay to admit it now._

_You probably left because the waiting just became unbearable. And yeah, I don't blame you. Now that I've had five years to think about it, I think I would have done the same if I were in your shoes._

_But that said, can I go back to the question about you and Elijah? Something tells me that you're more connected than he lets on. I mean, how else can he know so much? He always reassures me that you're alright wherever you are. How else could he do that if he didn't know about your actual condition?_

_Damn it, really. He makes me all jealous. How come he (probably) knows things about you and I don't?_

_Yeah, don't answer that question too. I guess I've lost the right to know about your life now, considering how I've hurt you. And here it comes - the regrets are filling me up again, so I'll just stop writing. _

_I only need to say one more thing anyway._

_I miss you, Damon._

The cawing of a crow in the distance punctuates her entry, and for a moment, Elena wonders if the crow is taunting her. She shrugs off the sentiment as quickly as it comes. As she closes her journal, her sensitive ears pick up a rustling sound coming from the pillow.

It's reminiscent of a card, or at least really heavy paper. Curious, Elena turns it over.

The message is enough to make the world stop around her. It's in handwriting that she recognizes on some inner level, though the sentence itself fills her with indescribable emotions.

She reads the message one more time, and the words ring in her ears.

_Maybe one day soon, we can read Call of the Wild together._

Before a second passes, Elena's already downstairs.

* * *

"Where is he?"

The younger Salvatore crosses his arms, schooling his face into forced neutrality. As hard as it is, Stefan is determined to maintain his brother's secret, at least for now. He can only hope his deflections will suffice though, since Elena could easily find Damon just by searching the rest of the boarding house.

Here goes nothing, he thinks, before asking the most clichéd question ever. "Where's who, Elena?"

"Don't pretend you don't know who I'm asking for!" she yells. "_Where_ is he, Stefan?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. We both know Damon isn't here."

A look of rage crosses Elena's face, as if she'll kill Stefan soon, just for his lack of cooperation. Throughout her building anger, his face still keeps its damnable neutrality, and Elena quickly decides that she must take matters into her own hands.

She glares at him. "Have it your way, then. If you won't tell me where he is, I'll find him myself."

Before she can turn from him completely, Stefan's hand flies out to her arm, acting as an immediate restraint. He no longer knows what the best thing to say is, so he decides on the best course of action he's come up with.

(Actually, it's the _only_ course of action he's thought of so far, and Stefan no longer has time to formulate or choose any alternatives.)

"Elena," he says, his voice more placating now, "you don't need to find him, believe me."

She whirls around, facing him fully. "What does that even mean?"

"It's hard to explain." Stefan scratches his head once, exhaling slightly. "Can you just trust my brother for now?"

At that, Elena's hands are soon on his arms, gripping with barely-restrained force. The anguish in her eyes almost makes him cave in. "Are you really asking me to wait for Damon a little longer? _Please_, Stefan. Just tell me what you know so I can go see him."

He cradles her face tenderly, a reminder that he still loves her, even after all these years. "I'd like to help, Elena, but I really don't know much right now. And though I can tell you that my brother really _is_ near, even I have no idea what he has planned. So you're better off just trusting him, okay? Please, go and rest."

Elena's eyes fill with incredulity. "You actually expect me to go to bed after what you've just revealed?"

Stefan lets out a sigh, dropping his hands from her face. "I know it's unreasonable, but it's probably for the best. As Damon's been reminding me recently, he knows what he's doing."

Elena exhales in resignation. "Fine, I'll settle for now. But he's near, right?"

"Yes he is. Nearer than you think, actually."

Elena shakes her head, fleetingly thinking of the identical statement expressed by Elijah. Though she can't really settle knowing that Damon's so close, in a way, his proximity is already calming her down. Her only hope is that he'll show himself soon, since she's wished for that every day he's been gone.

* * *

Exactly as he's done so many times before, Damon sneaks into the bedroom as quietly as he can. He almost chuckles at the fact that he's tiptoeing into his own room, but that's quickly forgotten once his eyes land on Elena.

He quickly turns to look at the photo of her on his nightstand, but he knows that the picture is a terrible injustice.

As nice as it is, it can't compare to the real beauty now sleeping in his bed.

He keeps tiptoeing, until he's standing right beside her. Damon briefly thinks that he might get caught for what he's about to do, but then he decides that the risk is worth the reward.

Slowly and _agonizingly_, his lips inch closer to hers.

* * *

A/N I know, the cliffhanger was evil. What do you think - will he be able to kiss her, or will something else happen?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N I just hate it when life gets in the way, you know? Plus, I was supposed to upload this yesterday, but I got all distracted with replaying the DE scene in 4x07. The sire bond thing is a cop-out though. It's like the writers want to cheapen Delena. It's unbelievable. Please review!

* * *

Damon's lips ghost only slightly above Elena's soft ones. It's certainly the briefest kiss he's ever given her, but that isn't a problem. He doesn't want hot and heavy right now - just the peace and the comfort that her kiss can provide. And oh, how well she comforts him in this moment.

He pulls away after only a few seconds, and Elena moves the slightest bit to the left.

Of course he wants to join her in bed, spend fucking _weeks_ attached to her in every way possible, and then tell her just how much he's missed her. But he knows that as much as he craves her right now, there is a better time and place for their ultimate meeting.

So, despite how bad he wants to act, he doesn't do anything.

Before he succumbs to his _raging_ desires, Damon exits his room in a blur of motion.

* * *

Elena wakes the next day, her eyes slowly opening, a soft sigh escaping her mouth. Her long fingers automatically ghost to her lips, and a smile forms on her face for the first time in what seems like an eternity.

Dare she say it? She actually wants to giggle a bit.

It's all because _he_ doesn't know that _she_ knows. In short, Damon has no idea that she was conscious when he kissed her, though Elena did force herself to feign sleep. To her, he's a fool to think he'd ever get close to her without her knowing, with her senses are just as sharp as his now. And while she did want to respond, she felt that a response wouldn't have been the best thing.

Elena doesn't know why she thinks that, but she just does, and ascribes it to intuition.

She takes a deep breath, consoled by Damon's smell. As calming it is though, the scent also inflames her with wild longings and urges.

It's nothing new, now that she thinks about it. Whenever Damon's concerned, she's always been afire.

Wishing to prolong the experience, Elena ducks under the covers, and stays for nearly half an hour. Predictably, her thoughts always go back to that brief second and a half - that golden moment when his lips were on hers.

Once the half hour is up, she clambers out of bed, and goes about preparing for the day.

Thankfully, she already has clothes at the boarding house - a stockpile built from years of sleeping in Damon's room. Actually, there's quite a lot of her stuff already in his drawers, and Elena honestly likes her items mingling with his.

(It's ridiculous and sappy, she can admit that, but she can't bring herself to care.)

To her, at least in that indirect way, they're already together.

* * *

Once she's done with her morning shower and with dressing for the day, she heads down to the living room. Elijah, as she's predicted, is already waiting for her. He always comes to check on her when she sleeps at the boarding house, and it's become a habit to eat breakfast together.

After five years of constant interaction between them, she's grown to consider him a normal part of everyday life.

"Is it my turn to cook breakfast today, or is it yours?" she asks, fiddling with the hem of her blouse.

"It's your turn, but I'll be gracious and cook anyway. To celebrate the fact that you've fully mastered hunting. Certainly took you long enough."

Elena rolls her eyes at that, but she's genuinely happy to see him. She doesn't really know when the Original morphed into a good-friend-slash-father-figure, but she admits that he's quite good in the role.

After all, aside from lessons on hunting and how to control bloodlust, he'd also been the one to teach her how to cook.

(She drew the line at chili though, because she viewed chili as something between her and Damon. It was something Elijah never questioned.)

Seeing the turmoil in her eyes, the dapper Original just gets on with making the meal. He's slightly overdressed with his gray button-down and slacks, but Elena's learned to shrug off his attire. She once tried to make him wear a tee, but he'd refused point blank and said it was "utterly distasteful".

The time passes in relative silence, eventually ended by Elena's voice.

"Is there something you aren't telling me, Elijah? Why the smile?"

He chuckles at that, still paying attention to the French toast. He whips the eggs at breakneck speed, saying, "You haven't looked at yourself yet. You're completely giddy, which means you have no right to question my good cheer this morning."

"Fair point," she concedes, remembering the sensation of Damon's lips on hers. Elena fights the urge to touch her mouth again. Instead, she just deflects the building feelings. "Have you brewed the coffee yet?"

He shakes his head, his eyes containing a trace of something she can't identify. "The boarding house is out of coffee, I'm afraid. I checked before you came down here, but not to worry. I'm sure something will turn up."

Before she can ask him about what he means, Elijah has already distracted her with his gallant domesticity.

* * *

While eating, the two remain mostly nonchalant. For one, Elena is just too stoked to talk much, considering the events of the previous evening. On the other hand, Elijah also has his own reasons for keeping quiet.

He points to the plate of scrambled eggs she's just finished. "Eat some more, I'll just be outside a moment."

Elena's eyes get slightly suspicious. "Why would you do that? You haven't even finished your crepes yet, and if there's one thing I've learned over the past five years, you love your crepes."

The Original smiles, but only internally. On the outside, his face remains completely inscrutable. Making a show of being annoyed, he taps the screen of his phone, saying, "The signal's the problem."

"What?"

"I said, I need to go outside for a better signal. It's abysmal in here."

"Elijah, the signal here is fine." Elena holds out her phone as proof, wondering about the real reason he wants to exit the boarding house. It sure as hell isn't a signal problem, she knows at least that much.

The Original lets out a sigh, for effect. "Fine, I obviously can't lie to you anymore. If you must know, I have an exceedingly sensitive call to make. And though we're quite close, this is not for your ears, I'm afraid."

"Oh." Elena's eyes are resigned now. "Go on then. Sorry."

"It's quite alright. I'll be back soon, my dear," he says, before quickly excusing himself. With almost no people outside, he uses his supernatural speed to get to the Mystic Grill.

Damon is already there with two takeout coffees in hand, just as they've both planned.

"She's all yours, Salvatore," the Original says. "Good of you to have escaped the house while she was showering. You staying there is idiotic though."

"Yes, well, you seem to know her routine a lot, so me staying there isn't a problem. I envy you, actually."

"No need for envy," Elijah says, shrugging off the comment and beginning his walk back to his own home.

Damon's sudden yell stops him in his tracks. "Hey Elijah?"

He turns his head fractionally. "What?"

"I always knew there was a reason I liked you."

Elijah smiles in amusement, before walking away, just as Damon blurs to the boarding house.

* * *

Though she hears the door open, Elena doesn't move from her seat. She expects that it's Elijah anyway, returning from his call detour.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

"I come bearing caffeine."

The voice is her salvation, owned by the person she's been yearning for. She can't resist teasing him though, just so a bit of banter can start. Otherwise, she thinks she'll end up jumping him on the spot.

"I was actually expecting Elijah," Elena says, fighting to sound nonchalant, even if she can already feel Damon behind her chair. His presence is making her tingly all over, and her breath hitches in anticipation. When their eyes eventually meet, she feels electrified by his stare.

Damon smirks as he sits down across her. "Let's just say that he had a sudden errand, shall we? Besides, I'm officially commandeering his role as your breakfast buddy."

He sets the coffee down on the table, and Elena feels like her mouth will rip apart with the width of her smile.

"How have you been?" he asks. His voice hasn't changed one bit. It still oozes with devotion. With desire. With love.

Elena reaches for his hand. "I've been half-alive without you, so will you please come a bit closer? I missed you."

Damon chuckles, eyes twinkling. "I have a better idea," he says. "Why don't we save space? Come sit in my lap."

He pats his leg, smiling widely as she rushes to comply with his request. Wrapping his arms around her, Damon affectionately nuzzles whatever he can reach with his nose. Again, he's scrambling to fill his lungs with her scent, trying to press her against him as tightly as possible.

(In all truth, he'd meld their bodies together if he could.)

Damon starts kissing Elena's arms and shoulders. "You have no idea how much I missed you, baby."

"It was your fault," she says jokingly, her fingers running through his hair. The slow scratching makes him purr with contentment. "You shouldn't have left. You could have saved us both a lot of heartache."

He looks at her seriously, blue eyes meeting brown. "You know why I left, Elena. God knows I hated leaving, but at the time, I seriously thought it was for the best. I wanted you and Stefan to be happy."

"Well, that didn't happen," she says, sighing and giving him a peck on the cheek. "I couldn't function without you."

"Yeah, I heard." Damon takes a moment to let her admission sink in. "But as much as I wanted to come back, I decided not to. Selfishness, I guess. I wanted to see if you'd realize that you were meant for me, not for my brother."

"Consider that fact duly realized." She cradles his face, kissing him gently. "I'm so sorry, Damon."

"For what, love?"

"For hurting you in so many ways, and for denying what we had for so long." Elena shakes her head, regretful. "Just think, if I didn't deny our connection so much, we would have been together for a really long time now."

"Yes we would have, my stubborn angel." Damon keeps dropping kisses on Elena's arms, neck and shoulders.

Somewhat distracted and breathy, she says, "I hate all the wasted time, you know?"

Damon shakes his head at that, pulling Elena's face towards him for a kiss. Her hair acts as a soft curtain around them. Unlike the kiss he gave her when she was sleeping, this one is obscenely long, with clashing mouths and grinding bodies. By the time they break apart, Elena's lips are swollen and they're both panting quite a bit. Elena's eyes have already gone dark, and she gives no thought to the fact that her fangs have come out.

The sight makes Damon growl for a second, his pants growing unbearably tight. He controls himself though, knowing that he must say something very important first. Aiming to calm Elena down, he cups her face tenderly.

"Listen to me, Elena," he says, his voice gentle, but unmistakably roughened by desire. "There will be no more thinking of regrets, alright? What matters is that we're both here. Together."

Damon's words make her smile, and her lust gets mixed in with love for him. As it has always been between them, the love is overwhelmingly intense, and she knows that she can no longer hide her feelings. (She doesn't want to.)

Elena peppers his face with kisses, before whispering, "It's your turn to listen to me."

His eyes light up with teasing mirth."Is that so, sweetheart?"

"Yes that's so. Because I have to tell you that I love you, Damon Salvatore."

He whispers her name, the way a husband whispers to a wife he adores. It's rather apt too, because husband or not, no one can question Damon's adoration for Elena.

"You aren't gonna say anything?" she asks, her voice just the tiniest bit insecure.

"Like you even have to ask, baby," he says, nuzzling her nose before placing a kiss on her lips. "You know I love you too."

* * *

A/N So, did it live up to your expectations? You guys all know what comes next, but well, I've written two versions of the next chapter, and haven't decided on which one to use. What do you guys think - should there be some anticipation, or do I just give you guys what you all want? Haha!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Well, here's the fifth chapter. Jeremy makes an appearance - and good Jeremy at that, not the crazy one of this season's canon.

* * *

When Stefan returns from his morning hunt, the sight before him is surprisingly _decent_.

Of course, he heard their voices long before he walked through the front door, but there's still a shocking simplicity in what his brother and Elena are doing. Judging by how long the two have been apart, Stefan expects some petting between Damon and Elena, or at the very least a kiss.

Certainly, he never expected the two to just be sleeping on the couch.

(Though, of course, he's thankful for such a G-rated sight.)

As he looks on, Stefan feels as if he's unwelcome - like he's an interloper on this moment of peace. It's as if the world is telling him to go away, to stop desecrating the situation with his presence. Right to his soul, he understands that this moment is not his in any way, even if Damon's his brother and Elena's his ex.

Because of that, Stefan just leaves. He thinks that after five years apart, his brother and Elena deserve the peace of resting beside each other.

* * *

Damon wakes long before Elena does. He's careful not to move her too much, delighted when she burrows herself even closer against his body. He thinks it's appropriate for them to be inseparable, so he just smiles and kisses her hair. As before, her smell engulfs him completely, and Damon is happy to drown.

"Wake up sweetheart," he whispers, and Elena sighs in utter satiation.

(Damon lives for that sigh.)

When her eyes finally flutter open, Elena's hand instinctively reaches up to stroke his cheek. He traps her hand right there, reveling in the affection. He's waited five years to be like this with her, and damn the rest of the world, but Damon's fucking _determined_ to make the feeling last.

He looks at her indulgently. "Welcome back to the world of the awake, sleepyhead."

"I thought this was a cruel dream," Elena says, nuzzling his clothes. "I've never been more happy to be wrong."

"It's not a dream," he assures her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Elena smiles, and it's a strange combination of love and wickedness. "That's a good thing, Mr. Salvatore, because I really want to kiss you right now. It'd be such a shame if you left me hanging."

No time passes between the end of that sentence, and the moment that Damon's lips touch hers. Unlike all their other kisses, this one is saturated in certainty, both of them secure in their love for each other. There is no urgency this time, as there would have been if the kiss was forbidden, nor is there any sadness like before, when they still couldn't be together.

Now, there's just a calm acceptance - about their shared place in the world, and the fact that they were always meant to end up this way. When they break apart, their lips are deliciously red from the exertion, and Damon is sighing from uncontrolled bliss. Elena's chest, on the other hand, is heaving.

(Both couldn't hide the satisfaction if they tried.)

A contented smile finds its way onto Damon's face, as he leans in to whisper in his beloved's ear.

"You know, this is the first real peace I've felt since I became a vampire."

Tears threaten to spill from Elena's eyes at that, so she just envelops Damon in a crushing embrace.

* * *

When Stefan ends up in the Gilbert living room, he's still unclear about the reason for why he's there anyway.

He can certainly lie and pretend that he has a pressing reason to talk to Jeremy, but to him, that feels like a cheap attempt to mask his hurt. Of course, he'd honestly missed his elder brother, but seeing Damon with Elena struck a painful chord which he thought he'd laid to rest.

"So, did I hear right?" Jeremy asks. "Damon's back in town?"

Stefan nods. "He's been here a few days."

The younger Gilbert drinks his juice, smiling. "I've honestly missed the guy and his cooking. Elena isn't too good at it yet, even with Elijah as teacher. And can I just take a moment to say, seeing that dude in this kitchen is weird. Nothing like coming down and seeing an Original make pancakes, you know?"

Jeremy laughs. Despite the heaviness in his heart, Stefan does the same. It's hard not to be infected by the kid's enthusiasm anyway, and sometimes he's honestly surprised by the rapport between Jeremy and Damon.

"You don't look happy, man." Jeremy sets down his empty glass of juice. "Is it him and Elena?"

The green-eyed vampire sighs. "It's not my place to dictate their actions. And I _can_ honestly say that I'm happy for the two of them, but of course, you can understand my hurt. I'm not used to it, you know?"

Elena's brother nods, and Stefan surmises that the young man has gotten a bit wiser with the years. While it's painful to think of what Jeremy has gone through, Stefan also admires the strength that he displays. A lot of times, it actually reminds him of Elena's own determination.

The moments pass in silence, eventually ended by Jeremy's excited words.

"So, now that your brother's back," he says, grinning, "can I go to your house and badger Damon for some food? I've had enough of the goddamn takeout from the Grill."

That makes Stefan laugh. "Sure you can. Make your sister command him, and he'll never resist."

* * *

"Jer? I didn't expect you here." Elena smiles at her brother as they break away from their hug.

He just grins, still retaining his easy stance when he points to Damon. "I've come to test out how whipped he is."

"I am not." Damon's eyes are threatening, but his tone is light, and Elena knows there isn't any danger.

Jeremy quickly pulls out his phone to send a message to his sister, making her smile once she's read the missive. She nods, walking over to Damon. The younger Gilbert grins when he sees the dark-haired Salvatore turn his head a little _too_ eagerly.

"Something you needed, sweetheart?" Damon says, his eyes gentle and settled.

Elena glances at her brother, who has a _do it_ look in his eyes. She speaks.

"So, Jer came here because he wants to ask if you can cook him some food."

Damon glares at Jeremy, promptly showing his fangs. "In case you didn't get the memo baby Gilbert, you aren't your sister, so you don't get the benefits of my cooking. That means a giant _fuck no_."

Jeremy looks completely unperturbed by Damon's words, and Stefan has chosen to just stand in a corner and observe. In all honesty, he's actually enjoying the banter. He watches Jeremy tip his head up, as if it's some silent gesture for his sister to proceed.

"Don't be so mean," Elena says, turning Damon's head towards her. "And put up your fangs! Jeremy just wants some food, since he's had a too much Chinese recently. Yeah, he isn't me, but I'm asking on his behalf."

The understanding dawns in the elder Salvatore's eyes. Now he knows that he's being deliberately ganged-up on, and a devilish look overtakes his face. Leaning down to whisper, he draws out a blush from Elena's cheeks, and Stefan feels uncomfortable having heard his brother's words.

(For his sanity and his eardrums, he knows he has to stay away from the boarding house tonight.)

"If your sister agrees to what I just told her," Damon says, "I'd be happy to cook for you, Jeremy."

"You better agree, sis!"

"What say you, my conniving sweetheart?" The raven-haired vampire crosses his arms, making a grand show of waiting for her answer. Stefan shakes his head at the dramatics, while Jeremy just looks on with hope.

"Oh fine," Elena says, with the blush still staining her cheeks.

She's aware that her brother _so_ isn't the one with the widest smile in the room.

* * *

A/N So, I think I don't need to explain what happens in the next chapter. More reviews, faster posting! (Yeah, I want reviews that much, haha!)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Fuck. You. Work. Here's the incredibly long-overdue chapter!

* * *

Throughout the afternoon meal, Jeremy doesn't speak much. In fact, all he does is eat, and stare at his sister and Damon. Certainly, the sight in front of him isn't particularly interesting, but it's profound enough to catch almost all of his attention. Damon and Elena are just eating, but Jeremy thinks that this meal carries more meaning than he'll ever realize.

He knows he'll never understand the full depth of the pair's relationship, but that's okay with him.

(He'd long ago accepted that he wasn't meant to understand some things in the world.)

So, all he does is observe in silence, as Damon feeds Elena a bite of garlic bread. He watches the vampire's pale hand reach out, watches as the bread disappears in his sister's mouth, and watches still as the two smile at each other. Clearly, for Damon and Elena, the rest of the world is already negligible.

Jeremy thinks it's horribly clichéd, but the outside world doesn't exist for his sister and her dark-haired Salvatore.

(He has no idea why that realization makes him smile.)

* * *

When Jeremy kisses his sister goodbye, Damon's content to watch from the sidelines. He knows that one day in the future, the young Gilbert will be back for more food anyway, so the entire scene isn't of much interest to him. In fact, his only interest is Elena, but that's been how he is for the past few years anyway.

Stefan taps his shoulder. "You two enjoy yourselves. I'll go somewhere else for the rest of the day."

With his brother's advanced hearing, Damon knows that his plans will hurt Stefan, even if he and Elena have been broken up for years now. He knows that the pain is still there, still lurking in Stefan's green eyes, so this show of chivalry makes him smile all the more. It makes Damon grateful, and he nods but once to show that.

"Will you come back tomorrow for breakfast, little brother?"

Stefan shakes his head, a small, teasing smile etched on his face. "Somehow, I don't think you'll let her go enough to have time for breakfast. But I will be back for dinner though," and here his voice acquires a stern tone, "so I expect food on the table when I arrive."

Damon doesn't know when his brother acquired a sense of humor, but it's a welcome development. "Food on the table. You got it," he says, grinning. And then he just pulls his brother into a hug.

They haven't hugged each other for the longest time now, much less hug each other and actually mean it. It brings the two of them back to childhood, back to humanity, and back to the times when their lives were simpler. But more importantly, it represents peace and acceptance between them. For the two men, this signals a new era, and though it's been a long time coming, their newfound brotherhood has been worth the wait.

When they break apart, Stefan only says seven words. "It's good to have you back, brother."

(A tear threatens to escape Damon's eyes. He's never heard Stefan say the words _that_ way.)

Then, he mumbles a quick goodbye to Elena, intending to head to whatever motel he can find near the edge of town. For the younger Salvatore, it's a chance to take a break, and to let his brother and Elena have their fun.

* * *

From childhood, Elena always knew that bubbles came from soap. She knew that the effervescent little things would only exist for a few seconds, and then disappear just as quickly as they came.

Now though, there's a new type of bubble that exists, stronger and infinitely more lasting. This time, it isn't just soap, because now the bubble's made of the two of them. It's made of their shared emotion, mixed in with the soap suds between their bodies in Damon's tub.

(To her, it's the best damn bubble ever.)

Damon never stops kissing Elena's hair as he whispers sweet nothings into her ear. With her back to him, her hair shrouding his vision, he sighs, and thinks he's never been more content.

"Who knew that one day," he says, "we'd end up in my tub together. The world's a strange place, ain't it?"

Elena laughs, reaching for one of his soapy hands, resting against the edge of the tub. She brings it to her face, coating her damp cheeks with the suds. "The world may be strange," she say in reply, "but it brought you back to me. So, strange as it is, I think the right thing to do is just to thank it."

Damon huffs, his free hand stroking Elena's arm. "I prefer to believe that fate brought us together. And besides, you have to admit that my theory's way more romantic."

"Fate it is then," she says. "I'm just thankful you're here. Like, really here."

Damon's lips ghost down to her shoulders, dropping kisses on every available inch of skin. His voice is gentle and reverent as he whispers. "I really am here, sweetheart, and I'll always be here. Don't you worry."

He doesn't quite know why his words provoke such a strong reaction, but suddenly, Elena's turning in the tub to face him. He scoots backward a bit to give her some space, surprised when she suddenly grabs his face. She yanks him closer, until the two of them are literally looking into each other's eyes. Elena's voice is barely audible, but there can be no doubt as to the conviction behind her words.

"Promise me," she says, "that you won't leave me again. I won't be able to take it."

For a moment, he sees unspoken sadness in the depths of her eyes, and his heart breaks when he thinks about what his absence has done to her. Damon pledges silently that he'll work to erase that sadness from this day onward. He'll make it his daily mission to prove that he'll never leave her, if that's what it takes.

(He's always been ready to do everything for her. It's nothing new.)

The pledge only rings out in his head though, because his mouth says something different. It's the very same promise he made to her so many years ago. It's a promise which he's broken with his half-decade of absence, but he now wants to atone for it, preferably for eternity.

Damon lays the gentlest kiss on her lips, and a breath passes between them.

"I promise you," he says, eyes radiating sincerity, "I will never leave you again."

Half of Elena wants to cry at the love in his voice, but she drowns that desire by crashing her lips to his.

* * *

A/N Hi, my name is Evil Motherfucking Cliffhanger. It's nice to meet you! Anyhow, I wanted to cut it short here because the next chapter is you-know-what, and I wanted it to be the focus instead of just a part of this chap. Review?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N This was supposed to be different, but the chap dictated things. And I promise, the next chap is the much-awaited, uh, you know.

* * *

Damon wakes the next morning, from the restless motion of Elena's hands.

Her nimble, soft fingers are dancing across the planes of his face, tracing his skin with loving tenderness. It's the most cared for that he's felt since his mother died, and he has no idea how he'll adequately communicate that feeling.

Apart from his mother, no one has ever loved him this way, loved him as if the very universe began and ended with wherever he happened to be. It makes him feel cherished, almost unbelievably so.

(It makes him feel needed and important in a way he never thought he would be again.)

Once her fingers find their way to his lips, Damon's hand arrests any further motion. He pulls Elena toward him, her body now resting on top of his. Foreheads almost touching, he racks his brain for what he should say.

(He settles, eventually, for the same words he once found in a book of Pablo Neruda's poetry. The words are painfully lacking, he knows as much, but they will have to do.)

Damon cradles his beloved's face, and the words pour forth. "And when you appear, all the rivers sound in my body. Bells shake the sky, and a hymn fills the world."

Elena's breath hitches at that, though she has no need for oxygen. The tears spring to her eyes of their own accord, and she's helpless against the onslaught. She can't speak, only look at him as she cries, the salty liquid dripping onto his skin.

Damon's words continue, holding her captive - enslaved even, to love.

"Everything was empty, dead, mute, fallen abandoned, and decayed. Inconceivably alien, it all belonged to someone else - to no one, till your beauty and your poverty filled the autumn plentiful with gifts."

The tears never stop, even though he has already gone silent. Unmoving, Damon is content to hold Elena, to press her against his body, and maybe even die to the world, with her smell all around him. He's happy to soak it all in, to revel in the fact that Elena will always be his. Nothing will change that now, he's sure of it.

* * *

When the two of them eventually walk down to the main level of the boarding house, Elena and Damon are clean and fresh from their shared shower. Contrary to expectation, Damon was actually pretty PG, just as he was when he dried her after their time in the tub. Elena thought he would have jumped her then, but he ended up tucking her into bed. It was a new day now, and Damon was still frustratingly gentlemanly.

(Well, gentlemanly for the most part, not counting eight stolen kisses and a few nips on the neck when they were showering. Still, it's a far cry from the flirty Salvatore she's come to know and love.)

"What's up with you today?"

He looks at her, amused. "What do you mean, kitten?"

Elena thinks of what she'll say first. "Why were you so PG last night? I kissed you in the tub. I thought we would-"

His eyes twinkle. "Thought we would what?"

"Nothing." Elena tries to remain neutral, to tamp down on her embarrassment. "Let's just move on to why you were so romantic this morning. Who are you and what have you done with Damon?"

The dark-haired vampire laughs, kissing Elena's hair as he pulls her close for yet another embrace. "Let's just say I want to spoil you for a little while. You know, be a good boyfriend and all."

_Boyfriend._ It's the most normal word ever. Elena smiles at that, patting Damon's cheek. He seems to like her little action, judging from the contented rumble of his chest. Her heart rejoices in the knowledge that only she can draw such contentment from him, and his wide smile makes her want to cry again.

She changes the subject lest the tears start flowing. "What are we doing today?"

A multitude of options run through Damon's head. They could go out and enjoy the sunshine, or stay in and eat breakfast together. They could also head to the Grill - meet up with the rest of the gang. Damon remembers that no one else knows he's back in town, apart from Elena, Elijah and Stefan.

Another option filters into his mind. This one is infinitely more meaningful. "Do you want to visit Alaric?"

He says it as if Alaric has never been gone, as if the hunter-teacher always been in town, just a little out of sight. Both their hearts clench with sentiment, but for different reasons, each equally as significant as the other one.

For Damon, it's because of friendship.

(He still orders two of everything he drinks, and saves a seat at every bar he's ever been in.)

For Elena, it's family.

(Alaric is the closest to a second father that she's ever had, the man she most likens to her Dad, Grayson.)

"So, are we gonna visit my old buddy?"

Damon's words break Elena out of her momentary stupor. She nods and follows him out.

* * *

The two of them settle on the bench near Alaric's headstone, and the first thing Elena notices is the bottle of bourbon settled on top. It's the same bottle that she's always seen when she visits his grave, and she thinks that the source is sitting right beside her. Curious, she looks at Damon. He answers her unspoken question.

"Yes, I'm the one who left that there." His voice is heavy, but calm. "The maintenance staff always clears it though, so I bring him a new bottle each time I visit."

Elena doesn't know quite what to say to that. It's a new revelation for her, in many ways. It means that Damon has been in town, just that she never caught him. (She hates that fact.)

More importantly though, this is a side of Damon she's never fully seen, the side of him that bonded to Alaric. She never really understood the bond between Ric and her vampire. It makes her happy though, to know that two of the most important men in her life more or less managed to be friends.

(Perhaps it was even brotherhood more so than simple friendship.)

She laughs when she remembers how Alaric called Damon when they were hiking in search of Stefan.

"You two ganged up on me back then." At Damon's wondering look, she explains, "You know, the one where we were searching for Stefan, and Ric called you? God, I hated it when you showed up."

He chuckles. "He was right to call me. It was a full moon, Elena. You could have been killed."

Elena exhales a heavy breath, understanding his protectiveness. "It's okay. I get the reasons for your cooperation."

It's Damon's turn to ask her, "Who are you and what have _you_ done with Elena?"

"It's been five years," she says. "When you were gone, I was always with Stefan and Elijah. You know how your brother is, but Elijah was pretty stern. He taught me to see from a lot of new angles, and to understand why we all did certain things. He's been helpful, especially when I was still trying to cope. You have no idea how broken I was during those first few weeks. I wouldn't come out of the house. Stefan thought I'd starve and dessicate."

The admission shatters Damon's heart, and he pulls her close to him, wrapping an arm around her. Kissing her hair, he whispers, "That's over now, Elena. I'm here. I always will be."

"I know that," she says, leaning into him for a second, and then turning to face Alaric's headstone. "Can you believe it, Ric? I ended up with Damon of all people."

Damon talks too. "In my defense, I'm not all bad, ain't that right, buddy?"

Their words are cathartic, and even though they can hear no replies, it's alright. For some reason, they can feel Alaric near them, so the two don't feel stupid at all, talking to someone essentially invisible. Everything grows silent, and Damon kneels down onto the ground.

He sweeps away some dirt on Ric's headstone. Elena does the same, settling beside him. He reaches instinctively for her hand as he speaks.

"You remember the last time we talked, Ric?" he says, recalling that moment when he spoke about Japanese lanterns and them not being Japanese. "All that's different now. And guess what, man?"

Elena waits for Damon's next words.

He takes a breath. His voice is unbelieving, full of wonder. It's as if he is ready to let go of almost two centuries of pain. Almost two centuries of heartbreak. Damon looks down at his friend's grave.

"This time, I got the girl."

His sentence is Elena's undoing. Right in front of Ric, she cries with happiness and hugs Damon as tight as she can. When her tears eventually stop, the two keep on talking to the headstone in front of them, sharing stories until the late morning turns into late afternoon.

Throughout that time, the two never see him, but Alaric is right there, smiling and listening.

* * *

When Stefan arrives at the boarding house later that evening, he's surprised that the smell of his home hasn't changed yet. There's none of the telltale arousal in the air, and he wonders where his brother summoned the control to not sleep with Elena. He'd expected that which was why he left, but it seemed the two hadn't gotten to fooling around. He's thankful of course, but now he thinks he'll have to stay at a motel again.

(Elijah did offer too, but he thinks it's just too awkward.)

Elena smiles at him in welcome. "Damon's in the kitchen. He says you wanted dinner."

"I did. We agreed on it."

That sentence makes Elena's smile go even wider. Somehow, this is the relationship she's always wanted the brothers to have - a relationship of acceptance, friendship, peace, and of course, love. Unbeknownst to her, Stefan is thinking something similar.

He sees this as a new chapter for him and his brother, a new beginning which he hopes will culminate in a return to the relationship they had as humans. Back when they were young, everybody always commented that him and Damon were the best of friends, as well as being brothers.

Stefan sees no reason why they can't be like that again.

* * *

By the time they walk through the kitchen archway, Stefan observes the difference between Elena's treatment of him and his brother. She had been cordial and friendly to him, of course, but to Damon, she was adoring and tender. He doesn't think she was ever that overt when they were in a relationship.

Silent and seated in one of the chairs, he watches as Elena's hand strokes his brother's cheek, that same hand quickly brought to Damon's lips for a gentle kiss. It's not surprising to him. He's always known his brother to be extremely loving, a trait that grew hidden as his brother hardened over the years.

(Now, Stefan is seeing it come back in full force, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't pleased.)

When Damon raises the spatula to Elena's lips for a taste of the sauce, Stefan finally looks away, focusing on some other point in the vicinity. His eyes land on the coffee maker on one of the counter tops. He doesn't need to see any more. He can already _feel_ how much the two love each other.

It's unmissable. Practically oozing off the pair. As saddening as that is for him, he actually looks forward to dinner with his brother and Elena.

* * *

A/N Somehow, this chapter wrote itself and took me in a different direction that I thought. Next chap's the dinner and the actual lemons. Haha. Review!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N I bring to you some dinner and a show. Prepare for some lemon in your eye!

* * *

Damon doesn't quite remember when he last had a real dinner with family. As of recent, him and Stefan never got around to sitting at the table and actually eating together. Considering all the sacrifices, fights and problems they've both gone through, the two just never had the time.

In fact, Damon thinks this is the first time he's had dinner with his brother in a few decades. In his book, the one with Klaus and Elijah doesn't even count. That was dinner laced with consequences, not a calmly shared meal. He shakes his head, forking pasta into his mouth.

Elena passes him the bottle of wine, an inquiring look on her face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much," he says, pointing the fork at his brother. "I'm just a little unused to this."

Stefan nods. "I feel the same. When's the last time we had dinner with no death threat over our heads?"

The three of them grow silent, each contemplating the question. Elena has no answer, and the brothers aren't faring well either. So the question is let go. The air's gotten a little too thick anyway, and none of them like remembering the hardships they went through.

Stefan moves to other territory. "What were you both up to today?"

"We visited Ric," Damon says, a small smile on his face. "You?"

Stefan shrugs. "Been around. I hope you don't mind, brother, but I told everyone else you were back. There's no reason for them not to know. And surprisingly, they look forward to seeing you."

For Damon, that's definite news. For Elena though, not so much. During his absence, all her friends had formed part of her support network, along with Jeremy, Elijah and Stefan.

(Predictably, the girls did throw a few threats around, including a vocal _When that idiot comes back, I'll fry his brain for leaving you_ from Bonnie.)

Elena bursts out into sudden but restrained laughter.

"What's so funny, sweetheart?"

"Try to stay away from Bonnie, Damon," she says, washing down her last bit of pasta with some wine.

He sighs. "What? Even after all these years, she still doesn't like me much?"

Elena's eyes remain alight with mirth. "She's mellowed, but she hates that you left me. Women always hate the men that leave their friends."

Damon shakes his head. "Fine then. I'll steer clear. But maybe I'll just let her have access to the kitchen."

Stefan finishes his glass, green eyes glinting with curiosity. "Why the kitchen?"

His elder brother grins. "This kitchen is stocked with herbs, little brother, and she's a witch. She can go nuts."

The three of them laugh, and it signals freedom more than anything. For the first time in a long time, they're all free from threats and from tension. Somehow, this is their ideal state - not much drama, just the three of them coexisting happily despite the ups and downs in their shared history.

* * *

When Stefan leaves that evening, Damon and Elena are left clearing the kitchen. At vampire speed, it's not too hard to do, and before they know it, they're already resting on the couch. Elena's head is resting against Damon's chest, his arm slung around her in a tender embrace.

The house is silent except for the crackle of the fire.

(The fire brings back _a lot_ of memories.)

"Thanks for dinner," she says. "It's nice to know that you and Stefan are really on the mend."

"It's for good this time, I think." Damon turns toward Elena, jostling her. He tips her chin up, laying a quick kiss on her lips. "We have you to thank. You changed us, and you changed _me_. We would have never reconciled if I were still my dick self. Stefan wouldn't have accepted that."

Elena returns Damon's kiss with one of her own. "Thank you, but I don't get all the credit. Believe me, you both got better because of each other, even if you may not see it that way."

"Can't you just accept my loving compliment?" he says, teasing.

Elena smiles. "Seriously. You have no idea how proud I am of you, Damon. You've changed so much. Or maybe this was always you, you were just hiding it all this time. I always told you you could be the better man, and now you are."

For that, Damon can't think of a suitable reply. Unable to form words, he just kisses her.

It doesn't end until they're in his bedroom.

* * *

When Elena lands on Damon's bed, she understands that this moment has made everything worth it. While they both could have done without the fighting, the heartbreak and the loss, somehow she's accepted all the pain from the past. The experiences have made them who they are now, and for that she's immeasurably thankful.

(What matters is that she still ended up with Damon.)

"I love you," she whispers to him, while he's busy laving her neck with kisses and nips. On instinct, he returns the words with equal fervor, his hands roaming across her skin. Eventually, her hands begin to explore as well, ending in the destruction of his shirt.

(The destruction was inevitable anyway.)

Damon wastes no time and discards the destroyed clothing, before nimbly using his fingers to grip the edge of Elena's blouse. As he speaks, his voice is strangled. Disbelieving. "Are we really doing this?"

Elena nods, bringing his lips to hers. Damon's all too willing to lose himself in the kiss, his hands moving of their own accord to remove the barriers between them. She's only too happy to oblige as he deftly reduces her to stark nakedness, knowing that there's nothing to be afraid of. After all, this is no random stranger in front of her.

This is Damon Salvatore, the love of her life.

Her motions tender, Elena returns the favor, undressing him with equal care. Unlike her expectations for a rough coupling, what they're doing isn't rough in any way. It's actually kind of peaceful for her - just the two of them, showing their love for each other with no animalistic undertones needed.

When they're finally bare in front of each other, Damon presses his body against Elena's, his lips latching to the soft skin where her neck and her jaw meet. In between his light kisses, he tells her endearments, unceasing whispers of love and devotion he's only happy to let her hear.

On her end, Elena' content to stay quiet, compensating for her silence with an abundance of action.

Like his whispers, her hands are also a constant, as they stroke whatever skin her fingers can reach. Her hands run from his hair to his arms, all the way to the flat planes of his chest and stomach. All the while, her lips press dozens of kisses to his collarbone and shoulders.

Once in a while, she stops, unable to do anything but moan from what he's doing to her. Other times, it's Damon who stops, breathing heavily as his head moves to the valley of her breasts.

He looks up once at Elena, drunk on the confirmation that she's watching and waiting. He smiles lustily at her, before pouring all his attention onto the soft mounds of flesh in front of him. His hands remain busy too, worshiping her neglected breast before his mouth alternates to make up for the absence. Throughout all of it, Elena just keeps on moaning and whispering his name, fingers digging into his soft raven hair.

"Damon," she says, her voice made husky from arousal. "Don't stop."

He chuckles once, and replies, "You think I can?" He kisses the underside of her breasts, then moves a bit down to her stomach. "If only you could see how beautiful you are to me. The sight would kill you, Elena."

"Oh God," she says, dying at the same time from his actions and his words.

He continues, nipping her skin now. "Your beauty kills me all the time. It leaves me breathless. It makes me want to fucking devour you."

The conviction in his tone is unmistakable, and she reaches down to capture his attention.

When he looks up, she repeats, "I love you."

It makes his heart soar, and a sense of peace settles inside him. "I know you do," he ends up saying. "Now tell me what you want, my sweet, and let me make you feel good."

"Your mouth," Elena says, already squirming from his insistent kisses on her navel. She doesn't know where she got the confidence to push his head downward, but she doesn't care. All she can feel is need - the need to have him where it matters.

Damon understands without having to be told more, delighted with her new brazenness. He growls at the heat radiating off her center, and his nose fights to memorize the scent of her arousal. Elena eggs him on with a strangled _please_, and Damon's helpless to do anything but comply.

Elena's answer to his onslaught is a deep moan, one of her hands in his hair and one ripping into the sheets.

(Damon's tongue is clearly too good at this sort of thing, and he knows just what to do to make her scream.)

Once he adds his hands into the mix, his long fingers probing into her heat, Elena feels herself crawl ever closer to the edge. Her walls start to clench around his digits, and the end comes when he uses his blunt teeth to nip her inner thigh.

She can only answer by screaming his name as she rides out the throes of her climax.

Efficient as always, Damon is right there to make sure that none of her sweetness goes to waste, his fingers soon replaced by the motions of his tongue. That prolongs her release more than she ever thought possible, but clearly it's only the beginning. The glint in his blue eyes is the only signal she gets before he thrusts inside her, stilling for a moment to let her get used to his girth.

(If he's honest with himself, Damon wants to cry from the perfection of being inside her.)

Elena grips onto him automatically, a hand on his neck and one on his arm as she drowns in his eyes. "I never knew you could feel this good," she says, a smile on her lips. "But Damon, I really need you to move. _Now_."

He laughs for a moment, enjoying her words and the feeling of her tightness around his length. "I fucking love how confident you're getting, kitten," he says, before drawing back ad then driving himself back inside her.

From then on, he never stops moving, maintaining a powerful rhythm and making the bed creak under the assault. He's not holding anything back, and at least he knows Elena can take what he's giving.

(Oh, how he loves the durability benefit of vampirism.)

Her legs soon lock themselves around his waist, both of them filling the room with the sounds of their passion. Damon's growls are interspersed with Elena's moans, with the two of them addicted to saying each other's names.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Damon actually wonders if he'll need a new bed soon, but Elena soon banishes the errant thought from his head. When her nails dig a little too hard into his back, the feel of his skin breaking makes Damon's fangs elongate.

"Fuck!" he yells, groaning from her passion. "You have no idea how good you make me feel, baby."

His uncontrolled words make her smile, and his sudden lack of control makes her feel unbelievably empowered.

Elena bares her neck in submission. Being a vampire, it's counterintuitive to her, but it's the ultimate display of trust she could ever show him. Wishing to show her that same trust, he rips into his own wrist and presents it to her with a look of surrender on his face.

Driven by love, Elena takes his proffered wrist and bites down, while Damon does the same with her neck. At that point, it's instinct which takes over, and the two of them succumb with needy abandon. For his part, Damon can't do anything except thrust roughly into Elena, his hands shredding the sheets whenever they're free. With each surge, Elena's walls clamp down tightly around him, and she can barely think beyond the feeling.

It takes only a second or two before she pulls away to yell his name, her mouth stained red with his blood. Damon's answering growl is more feral than it ever has been, and after a few more thrusts, he's emptying himself into her with a strained groan. Even the aftershocks seem endless, and both of them go slightly still, trying to wrap their heads around the enormity of the experience.

(It's hard to come to terms with, for him and for her.)

After a while, Damon tries to roll off of Elena, but she steadies him where he is.

Her eyes showing utter satiation, she pulls his face towards her for a bloody kiss.

"Stay a bit," she whispers, and it's his undoing. Relaxing, he rests his head near the crook of her neck.

For the better part of the next fifteen minutes, both of them just bask in the afterglow of their joining.

* * *

A/N So, did I do well? Send in some thoughts, along with where you want me to take this story. For those wondering why I don't often reply to reviews, I just really wanna focus on writing so I can bring you guys new chapters as quickly as I can. Rest assured, I read and appreciate each one!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Don't even know how to apologize properly for the looooooong delay of this chapter. Life has been more hectic than I care to think about, and I don't know when I'll next be able to write a story. But, kudos to Nina Dobrev's acting chops in 4x15, right? That girl rocks.

* * *

The soft morning light is the first thing that assaults Elena's senses. Damon's room is bathed in a warm, rosy glow, the rays glinting slightly onto the bed and their skin.

Completely sated and unwilling to move, Elena presses herself even closer to her vampire, greedily blanketing herself with him. Within milliseconds, his arms tighten around her, and Damon tips his head down to give her hair a sleepy kiss. She reciprocates with a kiss of her own near the hollow of his throat.

Almost instinctively, her hands and arms comfortably wrap around his torso.

The room being so peaceful, falling back asleep isn't that hard for either of them. Were it not for the ringing of Elena's phone on the nightstand, they actually would have done just that.

"Fucking technology," Damon says, irritated at the shrill sound destroying his moment. He growls for good measure, though it's a groggy growl without much menace behind it. The sound makes Elena smile. "Answer that before I crush your phone, sweetheart."

Elena shakes her head, disentangling their limbs as she reaches for the phone. The movement puts her squarely on top of Damon's body, their parts perfectly aligned and her hair splayed out near his face.

(Both of them are glaringly aware of the position's possibilities. Elena can feel a certain part of Damon already stirring to life.)

Still a bit lethargic, she presses the answer button and says a sleepy, "Hello?"

"Elena?"

"Yes, Care?"

"Bonnie and I are at the Grill. Bring that stupid asshole with you and come meet us."

Elena rolls her eyes as Damon places sweet kisses on her neck and shoulders. It's enormously distracting, but his affection makes him all the more lovable. Of course, his kisses are filling her with urges too, and a moan so desperately wants to break free from her lips.

(Though, Elena doesn't think her friend would appreciate that sound.)

Caroline continues to chirp into the phone. "Are you up now? Get up, already!"

"What time is it anyway?" Elena groans, half from her friend's request and half from the feel of Damon's lips on her skin. She's already pressing herself against his hardness, desperate for friction.

"Hang up, my sweet," Damon whispers against her skin, his hands roaming.

Elena tries her best to keep speaking into the phone. "It's so early, Care! Can't I just come meet you and Bonnie later?"

(She doesn't express her wanton thoughts - can I have Damon first before I meet you guys?)

"For your information, it's no longer early," the blond vampire says. "It's ten-thirty! Haul yourself out of bed!"

Elena sighs in frustration, and Damon takes it as his cue to steal her phone. There's a halfhearted struggle to get the gadget back, but Elena eventually gives up. As always, the words out of his mouth are downright defiant, and his voice is rough as he speaks.

"Blondie, I'm not letting Elena out of my bed, and that's that. We have better activities to get to, so find someone else to bother!"

Before Caroline even gets a word in, Damon has already hung up, a smirk of triumph on his face. Elena would have found the look endearing, were it not for the threat of Caroline's temper now hanging over their heads.

Predictably, the phone rings again. Damon makes no move to answer, and yet he's also not letting go of the device.

"Give it, Damon," Elena says, still perched comfortably on top of him. "You and I both know that Caroline's not gonna stop until she gets what she wants."

"She can have what she wants in the afternoon." The willful Salvatore presses reject. "Now, it's only you and me. Can't we just have one selfish morning all to ourselves before the Scooby gang makes the day implode?"

Elena rolls her eyes, finding the petulant look on Damon's face completely adorable. "Okay fine, one morning. But then we meet them in the afternoon. Because I really don't wanna deal with a raging Caroline. Agreed?"

A wide smirk graces the elder Salvatore's face. "Yes, agreed. Now let's make this morning worth the interruption."

The familiar, predatory look goes back on Damon's face after that, and he quickly flips them over. Stretching slightly, he makes sure to press every inch of his body against hers.

(He makes sure to emphasize the closeness between two particular parts of their anatomy. Releasing a moan that makes Damon smile, Elena only hopes they'll both get out of bed sometime that day.)

Once his lips sink down into the softness of her neck, she's no longer sure if they'll be able to meet her friends. As long as she's with Damon though, Elena's fine with going along for the ride.

* * *

Damon only has three minutes of peace before his torture from Bonnie. To her credit, she only begins the hardship once they're already in a booth, relatively shielded from the roving eyes of the other townsfolk.

(Exactly as before, it's her witch powers against his completely-unwilling brain. Not wanting to be a pansy, Damon tries his best to look like he only has a giant headache.)

"Witchy, enough, please," he says, cringing from the pain. "I know I left, alright? I'm sorry, damn it."

A breath passes before Bonnie stops her punishment, a neutral look on her face. Caroline looks positively gleeful from what happened, though the set of her face belies the coming interrogation.

The blond vampire crosses her arms, looking squarely into Damon's blue eyes. She sees her face reflected in the orbs, astutely observing Damon's closeness to her best friend. Their clasped hands are not beneath her notice.

"Why'd you leave, anyway?" Caroline asks. "Do you fucking know the shit you put Elena through?"

Elena answers. "He knows that, Care. Everyone's told him that."

"But I'm back now," Damon says. The conviction in his tone is unmistakable. "And if you absolutely must know, I left for reasons you'd never understand. Let's leave it at that. Don't pry."

Caroline sips on her iced tea while evaluating Damon's vague answer. Bonnie starts snacking on her fries. Throughout the moment, Damon's hand remains on top of Elena's, their bodies snuggled closely beside each other.

The Bennett witch takes the newfound silence as her cue to speak.

"I've never liked you much," she admits, "and that hasn't changed. But for some reason, you make Elena happy."

"He does, Bonnie," Elena says. "A lot."

The young witch nods, her eyes still wary as they rest on Damon. "For Elena's sake, I'm not gonna say anything. But if you hurt her one more time, and I see her cry her eyes out again, I'm probably gonna try and kill you. Like, really kill you."

Elena's unable to say anything, gratitude blooming in her eyes at her friend's acceptance.

"We understand each other, don't we?" Bonnie says, eating another one of the fries. Damon wants to laugh at the combo of her apocalyptic words and strangely funny eating, but he refrains.

He nods in affirmation, looking to Caroline next. "Go on, Blondie. Make _your_ threat."

Caroline shakes her head, a small smile on her face. "Oh no, I'm not gonna make a threat. Because I'm pretty sure that if you hurt Elena again, it will be him you'll worry about."

Everyone at the table follows the direction of Caroline's dainty finger, their eyes eventually landing on Elijah. The Original is dressed in a gray button-down and slacks, each one of his steps filled with dignified grace.

Damon wants to laugh and tell Caroline that Elijah is actually his confederate, but the set of the old vampire's face is enough to kill all thoughts of merriment.

"A word with you, Damon," he says. "In private."

"What is this about?" the Salvatore asks. "Something up?"

Elijah nods almost imperceptibly, glancing at Elena.

(That's the only cue Damon needs.)

Sighing tenderly, the raven-haired vampire places an adoring kiss on his beloved's cheek, then another one on the top of her head.

"Be back soon," he whispers, moving out of the booth. "Stay here with Caroline and Bonnie, okay?"

She squeezes his hand, communicating her trust in his decision. "Be careful."

To that, Damon answers with a small grin, raising Elena's hands to his lips for a last kiss. Then, he heads outside with Elijah, following the Original straight to the Mystic Falls cemetery.

All the way there, Damon readies himself for the onslaught.

* * *

"My brother is back."

The four words root Damon to his position under one of the graveyard's trees. Making a last ditch effort to salvage the mood, he says, "Which brother? Kol?"

Elijah sighs. "You know which brother, Damon. Don't play around. You know how Klaus is. Right now, he's convinced that a cure can be found to turn Elena human again. I think you know the consequences."

"Your brother's brain is off the fucking rails."

"Be that as it may, he'll unbalance the equilibrium we've all built up here, and I don't want that."

"Well you're protective today."

Elijah glances briefly at one of the trees, thinking. "I've made Mystic Falls my home now, and I'd like to maintain the peace. Also, I would be lying if I said I didn't want Elena's safety. The girl has grown on me, despite everything."

Damon grins. "She grows on everyone, except when she's enacting one of her suicide missions."

"The vampirism seems to have dampened that tendency," Elijah says. "Any ideas though?"

"We tell the others. I don't want to keep this from them. They could help."

Though the situation is serious, Elijah grins. "Tell the others, eh? My, how you've changed."

"Shut up."

The Original nods, following Damon back to the Grill.

* * *

To her credit, Elena's face remains neutral once the news about Klaus is shared. Still, Damon doesn't miss the way her grip on his hand tightens. Bonnie doesn't say anything, and neither does Caroline. Elijah keeps his stern face, arms remaining crossed on his chest.

The silence in the Grill's ladies' room is deafening.

No one notices anything outside of their immediate vicinity. The mention of Klaus being in town has reduced the five of them into a state of figurative tunnel-vision. Finally, it's Elijah who breaks the stalemate.

"Between the five of us, plus Stefan, my brother has a challenge on his hands. Elena, you know what Niklaus thinks. If a cure does exist, will you take it? He might be pacified if you do."

"I'll never take it."

Damon asks, "Why not?"

"If I become human again, I'll just be his bloodbag like before. Not to mention I'll be a huge risk. He may also force me to have descendants. I won't subject anyone else to what I went through as a doppelganger."

"Noble thinking, my dear," Elijah says. "Of course, Klaus will be none too happy at your decision."

"I know that."

Before anyone else can add to the conversation, Damon turns Elena's head towards him. Cradling her face in his hands, he stares straight at her, blue eyes meeting chocolate brown. No one dares speak except him.

"Sweetheart, this is just another challenge we'll all have to overcome. The good news is, we have Elijah on our side, and I'm back now. Or have you forgotten how good I am at protecting you and this town?"

Elena smiles a smile of hope. "I haven't forgotten."

"Good." Damon presses a quick kiss to her forehead. "Remember what you said to me, back when we failed to kill Klaus because of Stefan? Say it to me again, Elena."

The smile doesn't leave Elena's face. "We always survive."

"Yes we do. Just like before, we'll survive this and come out stronger on the other end."

The bathroom is silent again after that. The five of them are acutely aware of how dangerous Klaus is, but Damon's words provide a strong counterpoint to the simmering fear.

Perhaps they'll lose and Klaus will get his way, but in this moment, they believe hard enough in Elena's words.

It's all they can hold on to.

_We always survive._

* * *

One last review?


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